Wide band biconical antenna with a helical feed system

Abstract

A wide band biconical antenna with a helical feed system comprises a printed circuit board (PCB) that maintains a plurality of antenna elements having an entry conic and a termination conic arranged about a common axis. Each of the antenna elements receive a signal from a signal splitter via respective feed lines that each have the same physical length. In addition, the antenna system includes a matching system disposed within the ground plane formed by the entry conic of each of the antenna elements. The antenna elements are retained within retention sections that maintain helical support channels that allow the feed lines to be arranged in a helical manner about the antenna elements.

1. An antenna for transmitting a signal from a signal source, comprising:
 at least two feed lines; 
 at least two helical retention sections; and 
 at least two coaxial antenna element sections configured to be respectively disposed within said helical retention sections, wherein each said feed line is connected to a corresponding one of said coaxial antenna element sections; 
 each said helical retention section comprising:
 a pair of spaced ends; 
 a pair of opposed channel beams connected between said spaced ends, wherein said spaced ends and said channel beams form an interior volume in which a corresponding said antenna element section is disposed; and 
 a helical support channel disposed about the periphery of said interior volume, wherein at least one of said feed lines is carried by said helical support channel. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The antenna of  claim 1 , wherein each said antenna element section comprises:
 a conic side opposite a transmission side; 
 at least two effective conics disposed on said conic side and spaced apart from each other; and 
 a transmission line disposed on said transmission side:
 wherein said transmission line is disposed within a ground plane formed by one of the conics and wherein said transmission line is coupled at an end to one of the other of said conics. 
 
 
     
     
       3. The antenna of  claim 2 , wherein said at least two effective conics comprise:
 an entry conic having an entry vertex; and 
 a termination conic having a termination vertex, said conics axially aligned with each other, and said vertices having a vertex gap therebetween. 
 
     
     
       4. The antenna of  claim 3 , wherein said entry conic and said termination conic each have a half angle of about 9 degrees plus or minus 2 degrees. 
     
     
       5. The antenna of  claim 3 , further comprising a matching network coupled to said transmission line. 
     
     
       6. The antenna of  claim 5 , wherein said matching network comprises:
 a conductive transmission pad spaced from said transmission line; 
 an inductor coupled between said transmission line and said transmission pad; and 
 a wire loop coupled between said inductor and said termination conic. 
 
     
     
       7. The antenna of  claim 6 , wherein said wire loop is received through a conic aperture, said conic aperture disposed through said termination conic and said substrate. 
     
     
       8. The antenna of  claim 5 , wherein said matching network is disposed within said ground plane. 
     
     
       9. The antenna of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 a signal splitter section positioned adjacent one of said antenna element sections, said splitter section having a splitter side opposite a termination side, said splitter side having a signal splitter disposed thereon configured to receive the signal from the signal source. 
 
     
     
       10. The antenna of  claim 9 , wherein said signal splitter comprises a plurality of arms, said signal splitter configured to split the power of the signal received from the signal source substantially equally among said arms. 
     
     
       11. The antenna of  claim 10 , wherein said feed lines having a center conductor, and an outer conductor separated by a dielectric, wherein said center conductor of each said feed line is coupled between one of said arms and said transmission line of each said antenna elements. 
     
     
       12. The antenna of  claim 11 , wherein said opposed channel beams include a receiving channel to receive an edge maintained by said antenna element sections. 
     
     
       13. The antenna of  claim 12 , wherein each said antenna element section is spaced apart from an adjacent antenna element section by a spacing section. 
     
     
       14. The antenna of  claim 13 , wherein the section of each said feed line passing about said spacing section carries one or more isolation elements. 
     
     
       15. The antenna of  claim 14 , wherein said isolation elements comprise ferrite beads.